definitions

direct-access

[ dih-rekt-ak-ses, -ak-, dahy- ]
/ dɪˈrɛktˈæk sɛs, -ˌæk-, daɪ- /

adjective Computers.

pertaining to the ability to obtain data from, or place data in, external storage without the need to sequentially scan other data contained there.
pertaining to the method of organization and access used for a data structure in which records are located by their keys, without reference to other records that may have been previously accessed.

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Nearby words

direct speech, direct sum, direct tax, direct transfusion, direct vision, direct-access, direct-access storage device, direct-acting, direct-dial, direct-examine, direct-grant school
Compare sequential-access.
Also called random-access.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for direct access

direct access

noun

a method of reading data from a computer file without reading through the file from the beginning as on a disk or drumAlso called: random access Compare sequential access
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012